At The Table with Patrick Lencioni22 Juli 2025

247. Leadership Isn't Cool

Why might being “cool” make someone a dangerous person to work for? And why are some of the greatest leaders uncool?

In episode 247 of At The Table, Pat and Cody challenge the cultural obsession with being “cool” and examine how it can corrupt leadership. Using a global study that defined six traits of coolness—especially “powerful” and “hedonistic”—they reveal how these values run counter to responsible leadership. Through stories, examples, and hard truths, they make the case that great leaders are often deeply uncool—and that's precisely what makes them trustworthy.

Topics Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson explore in this episode:

(3:39) The Six Traits of Cool

* The hosts list the six cool traits: adventurous, autonomous, open, extroverted, powerful, and hedonistic.

* Pat expresses deep concern about “powerful” and “hedonistic” being celebrated.

(6:53) Cool Traits

* Cody and Pat analyze “open,” “autonomous,” and “adventurous” as potentially valid for leaders.

* They debate whether extroversion belongs in either coolness or leadership.

(10:28) Why Hedonism and Power Don’t Belong

* Why hedonism contradicts servant leadership.

* The trap of confusing likability or popularity with effectiveness.

(16:25) The Dangers of Hiring Cool Leaders

* How boards and teams often choose “cool” over capable.

* Flipping the script—celebrating uncool, authentic leaders.

This episode of At The Table with Patrick Lencioni is brought to you by The Table Group: https://www.tablegroup.com. We teach leaders how to make work more effective and less dysfunctional. We also help their employees be more fulfilled and less miserable.

At The Table is a podcast that lives at the connection between work life, leadership, organizational health, and culture. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4hJKKSL), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4l1aop0), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/At-The-Table-YouTube).

Follow Pat Lencioni on https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lencioni-orghealth, http://www.youtube.com/@PatrickLencioniOfficial, and https://x.com/patricklencioni.

Be sure to check out our other podcast, The Working Genius Podcast with Patrick Lencioni, on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4iNz6Yn), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4iGGm8u), and YouTube (https://bit.ly/Working-Genius-YouTube).

Let us know your feedback via podcast@tablegroup.com.

This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(278)

269. I Assumed You Remembered

What important message have you stopped repeating because you assumed people already knew it?In episode 269 of At The Table, Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson make the case that people need reminders...

26 Maj 19min

268. Death by Offsite

How can you design an offsite that your team actually values?Most offsites fail because they are either too loose to be productive or too rigid to be meaningful. In episode 268 of At The Table, Patric...

12 Maj 30min

267. Cults vs Cultures

How can you tell if your company has a strong culture or just generic values?Most companies don’t struggle with being cult-like; they struggle with having any real culture at all. In this episode, Pat...

28 Apr 26min

266. The Book That Almost Wasn't

How do you know if someone truly belongs on your team?In episode 266 of At The Table, Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson review the surprising origin of The Ideal Team Player and why its simple framew...

14 Apr 41min

265. Miserable Employees

How would your team’s culture shift if you started catching people doing their jobs well and celebrating those moments publicly?In episode 265 of At The Table, Pat Lencioni and Cody Thompson revisit P...

31 Mars 30min

264. Give It Up

What is one behavior you repeat that may be undermining your leadership?In episode 264 of At The Table, Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson discuss how leaders can grow by identifying habits such as in...

17 Mars 20min

263. Short Range Strategy

How can strategy stay intentional when planning cycles keep shrinking?In episode 263 of At The Table, Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson examine how the pace of change has transformed strategic planni...

3 Mars 16min

262. Be Extreme

What are you willing to repel in order to attract the right people?In this episode of At The Table, Patrick Lencioni and Cody Thompson challenge the idea that businesses should try to appeal to everyo...

17 Feb 17min